


Haunted Melody

by HappyKonny



Category: Little Nightmares (Video Game), Septiplier - Fandom, jacksepticeye, markiplier - Fandom
Genre: Fluff, Game Spoilers, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Jack is still a YouTuber, Normal Jack, Small Mark
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-04
Updated: 2017-05-13
Packaged: 2018-10-28 02:49:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 14,721
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10822170
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HappyKonny/pseuds/HappyKonny
Summary: Everyone knows the story about The Maw. A place of pure gluttony, eat or be eaten.But that's all it was, a story. A tale to frighten children. Something Jack never believed in.But one night, when he couldn't sleep, he heard a beautiful, but haunting, melody.The melody was hummed by a small person in a yellow raincoat, starving.Of course Jack had to help them, taking them to his home. And quickly getting attached to them.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> The humming can be heard here: https://youtu.be/ZiTfyvmRLb0?t=19s

_Hm hm hm~ Hm hm hm~_

Quiet humming went through the night, the sound echoing through the alleys. A light rain fell from the sky, wetting the stone paths, creating a soft rhythm on windows and rooftops. The town was asleep, its colours faded to dulls of their originals, the rain and clouded sky creating a layer of gray over everything. And while all else was still, there was the haunting melody, hummed by someone that no one saw in this night, everyone fast asleep inside their homes, where it was warm and dry. Safe from nature.

Barely standing over 2 and a half feet tall, with a handful of inches more, a small person was walking along the empty streets. They were cloaked in a bright yellow raincoat, reaching their knees. Their legs seemed bare, void of any clothes, while they walked barefooted through the darkness. Their face was hidden by the coat's hood, hanging deep in their face. Their steps were quiet, the rain masking their sounds. The only sound heard from them was their voice, which was for a person their side rather deep, and smooth. Humming that haunting melody.

_Hm hm hm~ Hm hm hm~_

One person was awake in this night, unable to sleep. The human was sitting on his windowsill, the window opened a crack. His eyes were closed, listening to the music nature provided. He was nearly lulled to sleep, his eyes heavy and tired, when a haunting melody reached his ears. The humming send a shiver down his spine, causing him to open his eyes once more and look outside of his home.  
The rain thankfully wasn't pouring, not obscuring his vision, so he could see outside. There was a streetlamp not too far away from here, going along the quiet road. At first, he thought he had only imagined it, before it rang out again.  
His eyes searched for the source, wondering who might be out at this hour. His gaze finally fell upon a bright yellow, belonging to a raincoat. The person wearing it walked through the rain like it didn't bother them, making him frown. Judging from the height, that had to be a young child, even though the humming did not sound like one. Concern flooded his being, watching the small person walk through the cold night and rain, without proper legwear or shoes.

He stood up, leaving his bedroom and going through the hall. Pulling on his shoes, the man put on a jacket and grabbed his umbrella, before leaving the house. The rain pattered softly against the material of the umbrella, while he walked along the street to get to the little person in yellow. They weren't walking very fast, nor taking big steps, so he had quickly caught up with them.  
"'scuse me", he said, which caused the small figure to stop walking. "Wha' are ye doing outside in tha middle of tha night, while it's raining no less?", he asked, crouching down, so that the person that only reached his waist would have an easier time talking to him.  
But alas, the person did not speak. He frowned, wondering why they weren't answering him. Did they not understand him? That wouldn't make much sense, why would they be here if they couldn't understand English?  
"Are ye lost? Can I help ye?", he continued to ask, hoping to get some kind of answer. For now, the small person had only stopped to hum, ever since he had first talked to them. It seemed like they still didn't want to answer though, which made him sigh. But suddenly, there was a growl, one that only a hungry stomach could produce. Knowing it was not his, it had to be the little person's belly rumbling.

He chuckled softly, watching the person hold their stomach, now turning around to him as well. He smiled at them, but was unable to see their face under their hood. The light from the streetlamp cast too dark shadows over their features.  
"How about we go to my home? Ye can get some food and get dry, an' sleep until tomorrow if ye like", he suggested, smiling kindly at the person. They seemed to think about it, but their stomach decided for them, growling once more. So they nodded, and he got back up on his feet again.  
"Follow me then", he said, before turning around and going back the way he had come from. He could hear the quiet footsteps following him, the little person now protected from the rain from above due to his umbrella. Even with a raincoat, they surely must be soaked, the cold having settled into their bones.

Once they entered his home, he put his umbrella away, pulling off his shoes and jackets, putting them to the side. The little person just stood there, waiting for the human to talk or move again.  
"I'm Jack, by the way!", he, Jack, introduced himself. A few inches short to 6 feet, thin and pale. Bright, sky blue eyes, with brown hair. Short at the sides, while the top was a little longer, and also dyed a bright green. A stubble adorned his jaw as well.  
"Ya can put yer coat here as well. I'll get ye some food", Jack said, before walking away and to the kitchen. He didn't know what he could give the little person, but they seemed rather hungry. So he decided to make them a sandwich, putting some left-over meat he had on it as well. He hoped they wouldn't mind it being cold.

He didn't have to search for the person long, since when he turned around to go get them, he saw them already standing on one of the chairs he had at his small kitchen-table. He chuckled lightly, setting the plate down in front of them on the table. They hadn't took off their coat, not even their hood, causing a little bit of water to drip off of them, and leaving a thin trail of water behind them. Jack didn't mind though, watching his guest hungrily take huge bites out of the sandwich.  
When they were finished, they sat down on the chair, and Jack took the now empty plate, putting it into the dishwasher. Looking back to the little person, he could see them shivering. The cold must have finally gotten to them, which made Jack frown a little again.

"I got no guestroom, but ye can sleep on my couch if ye want. I'll get ye a towel to dry off first though", he said, quickly leaving to soon return with a towel in hand. He gave the person the towel, who carefully dried their coat and their legs. Jack hadn't turned on any lights in the house, since the streetlamps and the moonlight were enough, and he could get around his house with his eyes closed if he needed to.  
Once his guest was dry, he watched them hop off the chair, landing with a soft _pat_ on the ground. He let them to his living room, where they climbed onto the couch and curled up. Jack smiled softly, pulling a blanket he kept on the back of his couch off of it, to carefully lay it onto the little person.  
Going to his own bed afterwards, Jack couldn't help but wonder. He had never seen such a small person here, and he didn't know of any kids that lived nearby either. It also was strange how they didn't talk to Jack, or took off their coat, or pulled down their hood. He couldn't force them to do anything though, he was glad that they at least came with him and seemed okay.

.

Jack was awoken by the warm rays of sunlight hitting his face. He was laying on his back, so he stretched out a little. He didn't want to start the day already, so he kept on laying in bed, putting his arms under his head. He let the occurrences of last night wash over him, where he had found that little person who refused to talk or take their coat off.  
After a few minutes of just enjoying his soft bed and the warmth of the sun, he decided that it was time to get up. He did have a guest after all, and he didn't know if they were awake or not. So he rubbed his eyes, getting the sleep out of them, before he opened his eyes. Seeing the ceiling, he sighed softly. Getting up was always the hardest part of the day.  
Before he moved, Jack finally noticed a weight on his chest. Well, the lower parts of his ribs, between stomach and chest. It was a very weird feeling, causing him to take his eyes off of the ceiling and downwards, to see what was causing that weighed feeling.

His gaze met chocolate brown eyes, partly hidden by dark brown or black hair. His skin colour was like caramel, a stubbly beard adorning his jaw. The yellow hood of the raincoat was still hanging in his face, but due to the little guy sitting on top of Jack -his legs to the left and right of Jack's torso- the human could easily see the face of the stranger he had taken in last night.  
His eyes wide with surprise and shock, he wouldn't have thought to wake up to this. The small guy sitting on Jack stayed silent, even when Jack was very clearly looking at him, taking in his features. Jack at least was sure now, that this wasn't a child, but indeed a small adult. At least he looked like an adult, only rather small.  
"Top of da mornin' to ya laddy?", Jack tried, a small unsure grin on his face. The little guy on his chest furrowed his brows, tilting his head in confusion. It was adorable.  
"Means good mornin'", Jack clarified with a chuckle, with send his guest bobbling up and down, making the little guy yelp in surprise.

He leaned forward, leaning onto Jack's chest more, holding onto the blanket still covering the human. Only once Jack had calmed down again, did he sit up straight again and looked at Jack again. The two of them stared at each other for a long time, until the little guy finally sighed.  
"I'm Mark", he said. Jack recognized the voice, too deep to be of a child, smooth and beautiful. The voice that had hummed last night, making Jack go out and take him in.  
"Nice ta meet ye Mark", Jack said and smiled at Mark. His neck started to hurt slowly, since he had to look down to see Mark on his chest.  
Mark nodded, his expression neutral. "You seem trustworthy", he announced, leaning a bit forward onto his hands. His eyes narrowed, scrutinizing Jack, who let him do as he pleased.  
"I try ta be a good guy at least", Jack said and let his head fall back onto his pillow, looking back up at the ceiling. His neck was thanking him immediately.  
"How about I'll make us some breakfast, a'right? If ye get off my chest", Jack suggested, and after a minute, Mark got off of Jack's chest. The human sat up finally, smiling at the little guy sitting on his bed, before he got up on his feet.

Jack walked to the kitchen, closely followed by Mark, and began making breakfast. He decided on making eggs, bacon and toast, hoping that Mark would also be okay with that. He had seemed to be okay with the sandwich last night, so he hoped for the best.  
Silence was over them, Jack cooking and Mark sitting on one of the chairs. A few minutes passed, and Jack felt like he should say something. He was curious about Mark, and he wanted to ask him questions. Where he came from, why he was so small, if he was human, such things. But he wasn't sure if he should ask, though if Mark were to stay here longer and not leave after breakfast, he should.

_Hm hm hm~ Hm hm hm~_

Humming floated through the kitchen, and Jack could tell it was Mark. Looking over to the little guy, he was swinging his legs lazily, gaze on the ground, and humming absentmindedly. Jack decided to let him be, they could talk over breakfast after all. So Jack finished cooking quietly, listening to the haunting melody, which made him feel uneasy, but also kind of sad. He couldn't explain why, it was if the melody carried these feelings with it.  
Jack prepared two plates of food, setting them down on the table and sitting down. When Mark didn't stop humming, Jack's brows furrowed. Didn't Mark noticed breakfast was ready?  
"Mark?", he called to the other, which didn't get a reaction. "Mark!", he called again, louder this time. This seemed to startle Mark out of his thoughts, his humming stopping abruptly. The little guy looked up to Jack, blinking like he came out of a daze.  
"What happened?", he asked, seeing Jack's confused expression, before he noticed the food in front of him. Standing up on his chair, to have better access to the food, he ignored the cutlery and grabbed a piece of bacon with his bare hands, chewing on it happily.

"Ye just spaced out, is all", Jack replied, watching Mark for a little, before he started to eat as well. They ate in silence for a few minutes, until Jack couldn't live with the uncomfortable air around them.  
"Do ye have a home?", Jack decided to ask. Questions like "What are you" seemed a little too strange, especially since he could imagine that Mark wouldn't know either. So why not ask about other important things?  
"No", was Mark simple answer, and he shook his head.  
"Where are ye from then?", Jack wondered, looking Mark up and down. He still had the hood of his raincoat up, which made Jack curious.  
"The Maw", again, Mark held his answer short, which didn't help Jack at all. Thankfully though, he had heard of that.  
"The Maw? But that is just a legend, told to frighten children", Jack argued, brows furrowed, looking at Mark in disbelief. He clearly couldn't imagine that place to be real.

Mark looked up to Jack, his expression stern and his gaze cold. It send a shiver down Jack's spine, if he was being honest. The gaze alone told Jack that Mark wasn't lying, wasn't joking. So Jack simply swallowed, nodding.  
"Do ye have a place ta stay?", jack asked then, already guessing the answer. If Mark had come from a place like the Maw, if he had truly escaped form that tell-tale place, then Mark probably had nowhere else to go.  
Mark's gaze lowered once more, his eating stopping. He seemed sad, though jack couldn't be sure without being able to see his face. But then, Mark shook his head, continuing to eat his bacon.  
"Do ye want ta stay with me?", Jack asked, which startled Mark, causing him to sharply look up. Jack wasn't sure why he had asked, but he knew Mark had no one else, and he had deemed Jack as trustworthy.  
"You'd let me stay with you?", Mark asked, sounding unsure. In disbelief. Hopeful, even. Jack smiled in return, nodding with enthusiasm. The longer he thought about it, the more he liked the idea. Mark slowly smiled as well, which brightened Jack's smile.

They continued their breakfast, in which Jack quickly discovered that Mark preferred meat over anything else, though he admitted to never really having eaten anything sweet. Jack promised to make him something sweet as soon as he could, which made Mark smile.  
"So Mark, why don't ye take off yer coat?", Jack asked, curiously looking at his new friend and roommate. Judging from Mark's height, he should be able to open doors without help, so he should be able to get around himself and do most things necessary without help.  
"I don't have anything besides it", Mark replied with a shrug. The answer made Jack's eyebrows go up, and his pale cheeks got a light pink.  
"So yer wearing nothin' underneath?", he asked, feeling slightly embarrassed. He wasn't sure why, maybe because Mark seemed so much like a human, just in small.  
"I do have boxers", Mark replied and shrugged again, now finishing his bacon, poking at the eggs with his fingers. He settled on munching on the toast instead.  
Jack nodded. "So ya need clothes. Gotta make ye a place ta sleep. Ya need anythin' else special?", Jack asked, pausing his eating to make a mental checklist. Mark used jack's distracted mind to steal a piece of bacon off his plate.  
"Hey!", Jack protested once he noticed, but Mark just grinned widely at him, munching on his bacon, formerly Jack's.  
"I don't need anything else", Mark answered then. At least he didn't think so. He never had possessed anything, at least not that he could remember. For all he knew, he had always been on The Maw, always trying to escape.

"A'right", Jack nodded. He'd find out about Mark's eating habits over time surely, and he was sure he could share most of his belongings with Mark. The little guy didn't seem concerned about the topic though, instead happily eating. For such a little guy, he surely could eat.  
"Hey Mark", Jack spoke up, when he was finished with eating and discarding of the things Mark had left over. Mark looked up and towards Jack, once he was called, humming to show he listened.  
"Why don't ye take yer hood off?", Jack asked, which took Mark by surprise. He touched his hood with one hand, thinking, before shrugging.  
"I dunno", he answered in the end. It had just been a habit, hiding his face from everyone's sight. Even though no one he knew cared to look at his face anyways.  
"Why not take it off then? Yer inside an' I've seen yer face already", Jack chuckled softly, making Mark think about it. He could, couldn't he? If he wanted to, he could always put it back up again. So, with a shrug, he pulled the hood off of his head.  
With his action, Mark revealed his dark hair. Even in daylight it was hard to tell if it was a dark brown or black. It was cut short at the sides and longer on top, longer than Jack's hair, and looked rather soft and fluffy. It hang into his face a little, though with one two sweeps it didn't bother Mark anymore.

"Ye look adorable Mark", Jack said and chuckled softly, a smile on his lips. The compliment made Mark pout, crossing his arms.  
"I'm not adorable! I'm _handsome"_ , he replied and grinned, which just made Jack laugh. A little guy like Mark was the definition of adorableness. Nonetheless, he nodded at Mark with a small grin.  
"Sure ye are", he said and chuckled, which just let to Mark pouting more.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So after playing Little Nightmares and watching Mark play it, I HAD to write this!  
> I just randomly got the idea, really, and wrote something with.  
> It's only gonna be 5 chapters, but around 14k words, so yeah.  
> Sorry if this chapters is written weirdly or smth


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Spoiler for the game in this chapter

Walking through the clothing store together, Jack couldn't help but feel like everyone was staring at him. He was only twenty-six and walking around with someone who looked like they were maybe three years old. Not to say that the _child_ wasn't wearing any shoes or pants, only a raincoat -with the hood up.  
Jack and Mark had argued a lot before leaving the house, trying to figure out how to shop for clothes. Jack had been against taking Mark with him, but he wanted to pick out his own clothes. If he wanted to come with Jack, he would have to pretend to be a child, _Jack's_ child. And Jack wasn't too fond of that idea. Mark countered that Jack shouldn't be such a baby and suck it up. Mark himself would just stay quiet and hide his face, since no child would have a stubble, and he refused to get it shaved just for this.  
So after half an hour of arguing, Mark had convinced Jack, but Mark had to promise that he wouldn't throw a tantrum over clothes.

So here they were, walking hand in hand through the store towards the kids section. Jack had already warned Mark that the clothes may not be to his liking, but he would have to live with them. Maybe Jack could get Mark custom-made clothes, but not right now. Mark just took a deep breath and nodded, he didn't mind. It surely wouldn't be _that_ bad after all.  
And he indeed was in luck. Pants were really easy to find, just like socks. Shoes were slightly harder, since most were too colorful for Mark's liking, or simply didn't fit right. But he found a pair in the end that he liked. Shirts was another ordeal, but they thankfully found a few that didn't scream "toddler"and Mark didn't scowl at. He got two beanies as well, saying he liked hats and hoods.

Jack did receive a few odd glances, but thankfully no one spoke to him or tried to speak to Mark. So as soon as Jack had bought the clothes for his friend, they walked straight back to the changing room to get Mark into decent clothes. Pants, socks, shoes, a shirt and his raincoat, which he refused to take off and have Jack carry. He didn't mind that though, so they could continue their journey.  
Since they were already out, and Mark looked like a normal child who had their raincoat on and hood up, they could go get groceries. Mark wasn't very helpful in that regard, informing Jack that he liked meat and meat, and then keeping his eyes on basically everything that looked interesting. After having run off for the fifth time, Jack grabbed Mark and sat him into the shopping cart. Mark protested, but Jack ignored the little guy, who went into pouting in the end. At least Jack was nice enough to still talk to him and ask him about what to get.

When they were on their way home, Mark had to carry his own bag, containing his clothes. Jack had also bought him a small stuffed toy, but just because he wanted to tease him, having made Mark pout again. On their way home, some older ladies greeted them, saying how cute Mark was and how young a father Jack was. Mark stayed silent, just nodding along, while Jack thanked them and tried to get away as far as possible.  
Once home, they put away the groceries first, Mark helping Jack as best as he could. It was mostly so that he learned where everything was, and so that they could test out to which places he could get to on his own, without help. That resulted in Mark being able to get practically everywhere, he just climbed whenever he could. He had a strong upper body and strong arms, so he could easily pull himself up edges.  
Mark's clothes got put away in Jack's room, where he made room in the bottom drawer. It weren't many clothes after all, since Mark wouldn't need many different outfits for the day, and only two pajamas. But Mark decided that he'd sleep in the living room, on the couch. Jack's bed _was_ big enough for both of them to sleep there comfortably, but Mark preferred to be alone, or so he said. Jack didn't argue.

Now it was lunchtime, and Jack had made some pasta. To Mark's dismay, there was no meat, but he'd have to live with it. He didn't need it purely to survive after all, he just craved it a lot. To make eating easier for Mark, jack had put some books on one of the chairs, so that Mark sat higher and could reach everything better. The only problem left now was, that Mark refused to use cutlery. Truthfully, it _is_ a little big for Mark's hands, but this was ridiculous. He shouldn't eat pasta with his hands like a toddler! At least he didn't play with it, and just grabbed it to actually eat it.  
After that argument had passed -which ended with Jack swearing to get cutlery made for children that Mark could easily hold- they were quiet for a while again. Jack couldn't stop himself from glancing at Mark from time to time though, having another person with him was strange, especially if it wasn't a normal human being. Well, aside from his side, Mark seemed to be a perfectly normal human.

When they were nearly done with lunch, Jack decided to tell Mark about his career. He told Mark that he played video games for a living, recording himself playing them and his reactions, uploading them to YouTube for people all around the world to watch. That meant that Jack would stay in his room for hours at a time, seemingly talking and shouting to himself, which Mark should just ignore.  
Mark decided that that sounded really weird and demanded to see that, and since Jack had nothing against doing so, promised that he would show Mark as soon as they were done with lunch. The rest of their time eating was spend with Mark asking questions about Jack, getting to know him better. Jack tried to ask questions back, but mostly Mark never gave real answers.  
When they were finally done, Mark waited patiently -Jack had somehow thought Mark would be rather impatient- before going together to jack's recording room. Mark looked around curiously first, before he let Jack show him everything. His camera, microphone, headphones and computer, showing him some games and in the end also a finished video he had already uploaded today.  
Mark seemed rather fascinated by it all, nodding along. Seeing how interested Mark was in it all, Jack suggested that they could play some games together. Mark immediately agreed to that, which made jack chuckle. He got his friend a chair in which he could comfortably sit, before sitting down in his own chair and starting a game.

.

A few days passed, in which Mark and Jack got accustomed to each other. Mark often watched Jack play games and record, always staying out of the camera's view though, and always staying silent. Sometimes Mark would start humming when Jack was recording, which lead to Jack having to call out to Mark, so that he came back to his senses and stopped humming.  
Jack noticed that Mark often fell into his own thoughts and would start to hum, and it was always the same melody. Jack started to worry about Mark, since he often saw a sad or pained expression on Mark's face when he was humming like that. He never talked to Mark about it though, trusting him that he would tell Jack if something was troubling him badly.

Then one day, Jack woke up in the morning with Mark cuddled close to him. The first time it had happened, Jack had tried to talk to Mark about it, but he just avoided the topic. When it happened a second time, Jack tried again, but Mark still refused to talk. The third time Jack ignored it. After that, Jack didn't wake up with Mark cuddled up close to him, but he knew he still slept next to him. Sometimes Jack woke up when Mark got out of bed, once or twice even when he got into bed. It concerned Jack a lot, so he decided to find out what was going on.  
When they both went to sleep, Jack stayed awake in his room. He was sitting on his bed, scrolling through his phone. Around an hour or two later he put his phone down, standing up. He'd go and check up on Mark, and wait to see why he'd get up to cuddle with Jack.  
Quietly walking into the living room, Jack saw the small guy curled up on the couch, blanket covering only half of him. He was hugging the stuffed toy they had bought close to his chest, which Jack would've found cute and tease him about it in the morning, if it weren't for the whimpers coming from Mark, and that he was obviously shaking.

Quietly walking towards the couch, Jack crouched down next to Mark, sitting down on the ground. It didn't take long for Jack to notice that Mark was crying in his sleep, clinging to the stuffed toy. It hurt Jack's heart, seeing the little guy like that, and he wished he could help. He couldn't start to imagine what Mark must be dreaming about, he had never believed that The Maw was a real place, so he couldn't imagine the horrors that laid within.  
Suddenly Mark sat up straight, his breathing short and quick, his eyes wide. It took around a minute for Mark to notice that Jack was sitting next to him, and once he saw him, his breath hitched. He looked panicked, terrified even, his breathing becoming more erratic.  
"Hey, it's alright", Jack spoke, his voice quiet and calm. "I won't hurt ya. Yer safe". He held his hands up slightly, to let Mark see them. Jack wasn't going to hurt him. It took a few more minutes of Jack calmly reassuring Mark that he was safe and nothing and no one was going to hurt him, until Mark's breathing had calmed and he wasn't crying anymore.

Jack opened his arms for Mark, smiling gently at him, and not a moment later Mark had thrown himself to Jack, clinging to his chest and burying his face in his chest. He was shaking, but not crying anymore. Both of them stayed completely silent, and once Jack felt Mark's shaking slowly ceasing, he carefully stood up. Jack held Mark closely to his chest, who was curled into him, and carried him to his bedroom. He laid them both down and continued to hold Mark close to his chest. Mark didn't protest, just quietly cuddling close to Jack and holding onto his chest.  
Jack let his hand run through Mark's hair, and a while later, he had fallen back asleep. Jack smiled softly, glad that Mark had been able to fall back asleep, and continued petting his hair, until he himself fell asleep.

When Jack awoke in the morning again, Mark was still there with him. He was curled up in a little ball, cuddled against Jack's chest. Jack had an arm wrapped protectively around him, his hand still in Mark's hair. If Jack wouldn't remember what happened last night, he would smile at Mark, having him here with him. But right now, Jack was worried for Mark.  
He slowly started petting Mark again, letting his hair run through his fingers. Mark shifted slightly in response, and turned his head up to look at Jack. Seemed like he was already awake, though he looked tired. Eyes half lidded and still full of sleep.  
"Mornin' Mark", Jack quietly said, smiling gently at Mark. He continued petting his hair, and Mark didn't protest.  
"Morning Jack", Mark replied quietly, his voice drunken with sleep still.  
"Did ye sleep a'right?", Jack asked, letting the concern taint his voice. Mark could also see it in his face, causing the smaller one to look away from Jack with unease written on his face.  
"Thanks to you I did...", Mark quietly answered, still keeping his gaze away from Jack. The human sighed, concerned for his little friend.

"Do ye wanna tell me about yer nightmare?", Jack asked, keeping his voice soft. He could understand if Mark didn't want to talk about it, he himself would often rather keep such things to himself.  
"I.. dreamed about The Maw...", Mark muttered, curling further into himself. In response, Jack pulled him closer to his chest again, his fingers making circles on his scalp.  
"I was in the scullery with the twin chefs...", Mark continued quietly, his voice barely audible while he told Jack about his dream.

_It was cold. The metal wet under his feet, while he crawled forward, his lighter the only source of light. He found an opening above him, letting him stand up. He could peek over the edge, seeing the scullery. Sinks lining the walls, plates stacked so high that they almost touched the ceiling. There was a sink in the middle of the room, a wall dividing the large room into two sections. He could hide under the sinks, the wall dividing the room also had one where he could hide under.  
Seeing the feet of the twin chefs, both standing at the middle sink, Mark grabbed the edge of the drain he was standing in, glad there was no grid to stop him from doing so. Without hesitating, Mark began to run towards the sink that helped divide the room. He heard the twins stop their activity, having heard his footsteps on the partly wet floor._

_Sliding under the sink, Mark crawled out the other side, waiting as quiet as he could, until he heard the chefs going back to washing the dishes. He let out a breath of relief and looked around. There was an open door right in front of him, the rest of the wall with sinks again. Next to the door in the wall was a window, which he would be able to climb through if he wanted. But since the door was open, he wouldn't need to.  
He hurried over into the room, spotting left to the wall once he went inside the wall lined with low tables, where he could hide under. A broken plate laid on the ground, which he needed to be careful of, to not step into the shards with his bare feet. He also saw a switch though, which he could reach if he climbed onto the tables._

_Grabbing onto the edge, Mark pulled himself onto the tables. In the corner it was wet, bubbles on it, but he hoped he wouldn't have to run over that. The wet ground was hard enough to handle. Focusing on the switch, he grabbed it with both hands, pulling with all his might to the right. It made a lot of noise, which alerted the chefs.  
As soon as Mark had the switch from the left to the right he jumped down from the table and hid in the corner under them, as far away as possible from the chefs that hurried into the room. He waited with a racing heart for them to give up searching. When they finally left the room again, Mark waited for a few more minutes, before coming out again. Looking around, his gaze went up, hearing squeaking. There was a metal line on the ceiling, with hooks being transported. They went from the left to the right, and following them with his gaze, he saw they left the room. His way out then._

_Problem was, he needed to get high enough to grab onto the hooks. The only thing that would be high enough to get him to the hooks would be the stacks of plates. Sighing, Mark ran back out of the room, sliding under the sink he had hid under before. He didn't see any of the chefs in the middle, so taking his chance, he crawled out from under the sink and sprinted towards the middle one, where a single stack of plates was, which looked to be tall enough for him to reach the hooks.  
Mark wasted no time in grabbing the edge of the sink, his hands almost slipping off the wet surface, pulling himself up. The water inside the sink went up to his waist, but he couldn't care less, instead quickly grabbing the edge of the plates and climbing up. Halfway up he heard the chefs, shrieking and grunting, hurrying back over to the sink, to grab Mark._

_He reached the top of the stack, and a hook just went by over him. Jumping, Mark grabbed ahold of it, letting it take him with it. He was transported through the whole scullery, the chefs desperately trying to reach him, but they were far too short. Their fat little arms barely reaching over their head. Soon, Mark was out of the room and into the next, a large room with transporters, filled with plates. There was a little platform which the line went by closely, and there one of the chefs appeared.  
Fear filled Mark once more, looking around he saw at the end of the room that the line was low enough to grab ahold of again, with a small wagon in front of it with plates which Mark could climb onto to grab the hooks again. He let himself fall from the current hook he held onto, falling onto one of the filled transporters, out of reach of the chef. He immediately started running towards the end, hearing from behind him how the door opened and the second chef came inside, chasing him._

_His steps quickly caught up to Mark, and he barely got out of his reach by sliding under a table that was in his way. He didn't waste time under it though, quickly getting out on the other side and continuing to run. He could hear the other chef was back in the room as well, now both of the twins chasing him. Mark's heart was beating out of his chest, his breathing short and quick. He climbed onto a little box in front of the wagon, before getting on it. Now he only needed to jump and grab onto the hook, for it to let it take him over the deep pit and to the next part of his journey._

"The plates in the wagon... t-they were- they were wet... I slipped", Mark mumbled, his grip on Jack's shirt tightening. He was shaking, retelling his memory and nightmare.  
"They managed to- to grab me. I could... I could feel my ribs breaking under their fingers... poking my lungs, making it- it hard to breathe..", Mark's voice was trembling, just like the rest of him. He had to stop talking, since he couldn't get enough air into his lungs -his breathing short and quick.  
"It's okay... yer safe. No one's gonna hurt ya", Jack mumbled softly, petting Mark's hair softly. He was panicking, Jack could tell. "Ya managed to grab tha hook. Ye got out. It's a'right".  
"Take deep breaths, like me. C'mon", Jack took deep even breaths, and Mark tried to mimic him. It took several minutes, until Mark's breathing was evened out again and he was calm.

"Ye can continue sleepin' here if ye like", Jack told Mark quietly, after a few minutes of silence. Mark stayed quiet, thinking about it, before nodding slightly. He wasn't sure it would help stop the nightmares, they had plagued him his whole life, but he'd probably feel better when he woke up and was somewhere safe, with someone he trusted.  
Jack smiled at Mark, glad that he agreed. He would like to have the little guy here with him, then he could help him better when Mark woke up from a nightmare, and he wouldn't have to go through them alone. He could only imagine how bad they could get, that small part he heard of Mark's former life sounded scary enough. Being so small in a place that is set out to kill you sounded horrifying.  
"Let's get up an' get breakfast, a'right?", Jack wanted to make sure Mark was alright before they got up, that he was feeling well enough. Mark merely nodded and let go of Jack, sitting up. He got out of bed, walking over to the drawer to get himself clothes. He still walked around barefoot whenever he could, but Jack wouldn't stop him. Mark would know what was best for him after all.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First happy shopping and then Nightmares  
> Poor Markimoo :c  
> But, bonding time for Jack and Mark!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More game spoilers!

Mark was sitting on Jack's desk, far enough away from the man's PC and camera set-up to not disturb anything. Jack was playing some game again, recording it as well, and Mark hadn't wanted to be alone. So he had come to Jack's room and climbed onto his desk, careful to not disturb Jack's recording. Now he was just listening to Jack talk to himself, swinging his legs back and forth. He was slowly loosing himself in his thoughts again, Jack's talking and the hum of his computer fading into the background.

_Hm hm hm~ Hm hm hm~_

His gaze was on the ground, his thoughts weren't here anymore, when he started to hum. It started quiet, before it got a little louder. He didn't notice when Jack stopped talking to his camera and paused the game. He didn't feel the other's gaze fall onto him and he didn't hear it when Jack called his name. He was lost in his head, causing him to hug himself thanks to the memories he was remembering once again.  
"Mark!", he was suddenly startled out of his daze, his humming stopping. Lifting his gaze, Mark blinked a few times, seeing Jack in front of him with a worried expression.  
"That's the third time t'day", Jack said and sighed softly. Mark had spaced out a lot the last few days, not to mention the nightmares. He never woke Jack up intentionally, and when Jack woke up accidentally, Mark wouldn't talk about it. Jack usually was too tired to press the matter further, so he usually just pulled Mark closer to himself and went back to sleep.

"I'm sorry", Mark apologized and sighed. He didn't like it when he interrupted Jack's recording, which was why he tried to stay focused when he was here. But he couldn't help himself, he always lost his focus and fell back inside his head.  
"It's no problem Mark", Jack smiled at Mark, he never minded it when Mark interrupted him accidentally. It wasn't Mark's fault after all, he didn't do it intentionally.  
"Where is that melody from?", Jack asked after a beat of silence. He was curious, if the melody had an origin, if it meant something. Why Mark was always humming it.  
"...We always hummed that", Mark replied quietly, fiddling with his hands. He didn't seem to want to add more, but his answer gave Jack more questions.  
"Who's we?", so he asked, wondering about it. There could be multiple answers, none of which he really liked, to be honest.  
"All the others. The children. ...Every prisoner", Mark replied, hesitating slightly. He didn't look at Jack, but he could imagine the shocked face he probably had.  
"You... you weren't just trapped, but a prisoner?..", Jack asked, his voice quiet, in disbelief. How many had been there, _were_ there, trapped and probably going to die?

Mark nodded slightly. "People like me were trapped in cages, barely tall enough to stand in. We... we didn't talk. Given up on life. We didn't know what happened to the ones who's cages were dragged away...", he told Jack, hugging himself. "So we hummed, always hummed. Louder when one got dragged away. With one less voice", his voice was barely above a whisper and he was trembling, thinking back to his prison, trapped in a cage.

_He woke up in a different room. There weren't many others here, everyone was so quiet. There was no humming at all. Mark was laying curled up in his cage, when he heard loud scraping. Turning his head to the side, he saw a cage getting dragged away by a long arm, the door closing behind the Janitor. Mark shivered, curling tighter into himself._  
_He remembered his cage being dragged. He had been with all the others, one small cage among hundreds, when the door opened again. The blind Janitor entering, his long arms seemingly floating around, hands hovering over cages. Before he had grabbed Mark's lifted it and began dragging it behind him._  
_Everyone hummed loudly, trying to cover up the sound of metal being dragged over metal. Only Mark was silent, curling up on the floor of his cage. He was terrified, he had no idea what would happen to him. It was a wonder he fell asleep during him being dragged away._

_After a while, Mark sat up. There were maybe a dozen cages here, if not less. There was a handle hanging not too far from him, but he was still caged. He wouldn't be able to reach it no matter what. He sighed, curling up and hugging his knees close to his chest. He felt like giving up. If this was the last room before who knows what would happen with them, then he had no chance to survive anymore._  
_Except this was his last chance. Maybe he could try to escape, he could at least see if he could. Standing up slowly, he let his gaze sweep across the room. There was nothing interesting to see, nothing that would help him. But he noticed that his cage was on top of another one._

_Going to one side of his cage, he used the little room he had to charge and throw himself against the opposite side of his cage. It wobbled a little, getting closer to the edge of the cage it was standing on. Mark repeated that for a while, his side and especially shoulder hurting from the action, but in the end his cage fell.  
It crashed to the ground, the grids at the side bending and the top breaking off. He couldn't believe it. He was free! But he knew he wasn't really free. He was out of his cage, but he knew everyone would try and kill him once he was seen._

Jack had pulled Mark off the desk and had set him into his lap, sitting on the ground and holding Mark close to himself. He rocked gently back and forth, while Mark was in his memories again. He could feel him shivering slightly, and Jack was worried. Mark had gone through so much, it had mentally scarred him extremely.  
"Mark?..", he softly said, hoping Mark was back with him. The little guy nodded, opting to hold onto Jack again to calm down. He took deep breaths, burying his face against Jack's chest.  
"The Janitor pulled them out of their cage... they had already given up, not struggling while he... he put some tape around them... before wrapping them into cloth, tying- tying them into it. For them to- to suffocate, while hanging from a hook, being transported away", Mark quietly told Jack. He had seen so many kids getting wrapped up like that, while getting through that room, trying to get away from the Janitor.  
Jack hugged Mark a little tighter. "That's horrible..", he mumbled, feeling Mark nod against his chest. It truly was, it was terrifying. He had gotten so close to being caught by the Janitor so often, even though he was blind. He had extremely good hearing instead, which had almost been Mark's downfall, thanks to the very creaky floorboards.

"So every time you hum, in your mind you're back in a cage?...", Jack asked after a while, his voice quiet. He didn't want to stress Mark further, to cause him to panic again.  
"Mhhm", Mark nodded slightly. Every time he fell into his mind, hummed, he found himself in those dark rooms of the prison again. The cold seeping into his bones, gripping at him. And all there was was humming and silence. One of them was always humming, there was never complete silence.  
"I'm sorry", Jack mumbled, letting his hands run through Mark's hair. He couldn't even imagine how horrible that must have been. Imprisoned with having nothing done, waiting to be taken just to be killed in the end, slowly suffocating when wrapped up to be transported like a piece of meat.  
"It's okay", Mark shook his head softly, voice barely a whisper. It wasn't Jack's fault, and he could do nothing and couldn't have done anything. Anyone who entered the Maw was never to be seen again. And Mark would make sure to never get close to that thing ever again.

Together, they sat in silence for a while longer. Jack still holding Mark on his lap, rocking them back and forth gently. They just enjoyed each other's company, the silence around them comfortable. Mark slowly fell asleep in Jack's arms, enjoying his presence and the hand in his hair too much to stay awake. When Jack noticed, he smiled softly and stood up. He didn't want to leave Mark on his own while he slept, if he was being honest, but if he wanted to finish recording, he would have to let Mark rest somewhere else.  
So he carried his friend out of the room and into his bedroom, laying Mark down and giving him his stuffed toy, which he hugged close in his sleep almost immediately. Jack chuckled softly, before leaving the room again. He left the door open, so that he could hear Mark, or Mark could hear him, once the little guy woke up again.

.

It was the middle of the night, when Jack woke up to pain. It was only mild, but as soon as fresh pain came, he knew that the cause was Mark hitting or kicking him in his sleep. He grumbled, rubbing his eyes and pushing himself up on his elbows, to look at Mark. The little guy seemed to be fast asleep still, but he was trashing around. Once Jack's eyes got adjusted to the dark and the pale moonlight, he could make out Mark's form better. His brows furrowed, seeing what looked to be like tears running over the little guy's cheeks.  
Mark's breathing was short, frantic. He seemed panicked, mouthing silent pleas, while his trashing slowed, but didn't stop completely. He seemed to have a really bad nightmare, reliving memories again. Jack couldn't stand seeing Mark this pained in his sleep, so he carefully shook the little guy.  
"Mark, Mark, wake up", he called out. "It's okay, yer safe. C'mon. Wake up". Jack shook Mark for a while, calling out for him. It took a few minutes, before Mark woke up with a gasp, eyes blown wide in terror. Jack let go of Mark immediately, not knowing how he would react to waking up being held.

Mark was still breathing short and fast, he could feel his heart beat against his chest so hard that it almost hurt. He looked around the darkness, frantic, terrified of what he'd find. When his eyes landed on Jack, he automatically scooted away from him, like he was afraid of Jack.  
"It's me, Jack", Jack said softly, seeing Mark terrified of him. "I won't hurt ya. Yer safe". It took a moment, before Mark slowly calmed down and crawled back to Jack. He cuddled into the human's chest, were Jack held him, letting one hand run through Mark's hair again.  
"Yer safe with me Mark", Jack mumbled quietly, and felt Mark nod against him softly. They stayed quiet for a while, Jack just letting Mark calm down.

"I dreamed of the Lady", Mark muttered after a few minutes of silence. Jack raised a brow at that, not understanding. He didn't need to ask though, since Mark continued.  
"She was in control of the Maw. Gathering people. Having us imprisoned, made into- m-made... made into m-meals...", he took a steadying breath, "Oversaw the people coming in. How they ate like they had no other purpose. Before retreating into her quarters...".

_Mark entered the elevator the Lady had just disappeared in. The doors closed behind him, taking him up. He knew he had to get past her to escape. He had to. Even if he didn't know anything about this place, or barely anything, he had seen enough to know this place was bad. And the Lady oversaw everything, he had seen her. And he was_ terrified _of her._  
_Leaving the elevator, he entered a room. There was a broken mirror on one wall, the opposite wall had an archway to proceed. There were mannequins standing in the corners, some having nothing, some wearing Japanese clothing. Kimonos? Mark didn't know, and he didn't care. Instead, he quickly left the room and entered the next. It started as short hallway, with a creepy painting of an eye looking down at him, before opening to a bigger room. There was a staircase and a locked door, which led Mark know he would need to get through there._  
_Walking up the stairs, he went slowly. There were many paintings on the wall, which he looked over. One of them was hidden behind a cloth, only a little of the lower half showing -a person wearing a dress. There was another painting of a creepy eye, looking straight at him. It send a shiver down his spine._

_At the top of the stairs was immediately to the right a door with no handle, at least none Mark could see. Further down was a grandfather clock, a door next to it. Since it was open, Mark wasted no time entering. But he froze on the spot immediately. Humming. There was humming._

_Hmm~ Hmm~ Hmm...~_

_The voice was unlike any other he had heard before, hauntingly beautiful, but sending shivers down his spine. The voice had to belong to the Lady. Looking around, he was in a big room. The front part he was in currently has to the right a wardrobe, to the left and right to it clothes stacked high. On the other wall were mannequins, with and without clothes like before.  
He quietly walked further into the room, and saw her. Standing tall and straight, combing her hair with her hands. She stood in front of a broken mirror, far enough away from the other wall that Mark could sneak behind her to the next room he could see._

_Entering the next room through an archway, he saw it was a bedroom of sorts. There in the middle, against the right wall, was a bed. There was a painting next to the archway, which was hidden behind cloth again. It looked to be the same as on the staircase wall. Next to the bed was a bedside table, and on it stood a white vase, with a blue eye on it. Like he had seen drawn before in different places._  
_On the wall next to the vase was a painting of a child. It was a little girl, with pale skin and dark silky hair. It resembled the Lady, and Mark would guess it was her as a child. What shocked him though, was a painting on the ground, half covered by a cloth._  
_What he could see was half of a person. A little boy, wearing a bright yellow raincoat, with caramel skin and dark floofy hair. It looked just like him, just a little bit younger._  
_Mark took a few stumbling steps back from it, he was shaking. That couldn't be him. Why would there be a painting of him? Especially here, in the Lady's room? It scared him,_ terrified _him. He wasn't sure if he wanted to know what that painting implied._

_He needed a full minute to calm down again, before he climbed onto the bedside table and began pushing the vase. He knew the Lady would hear it break, but he could hide under the bed quickly enough. So he pushed it off, and it shattered in dozen of pieces. He heard a small gasp from the next room, the humming stopping. Immediately Mark jumped from the table and slid under the bed, hiding._  
_He stayed there for a few moments, but when nothing happened, he slowly got out again. He saw a key laying in the middle of the shards, which he carefully retrieved. He had no idea why he knew it would be inside the vase, but he just had had a feeling that it would be. And it had been._  
_Grabbing the key, Mark hurried towards the archway. The Lady wasn't there anymore, like she had just vanished, so he continued running with the key, out of the room and down the stairs, almost falling. He quickly unlocked the door, pushing it open just to reveal pitch black darkness. The only light came from the other room._

_Mark pulled out his lighter, lighting the small flame to help him see. It seemed to be something like a storage room, he could see more mannequins and broken mirrors. He wondered if the Lady didn't want to see herself. It reminded him that he didn't like seeing himself either, that his own reflection scared him. Just like the painting of himself did._  
_Proceeding to walk into the long room, the door behind him was suddenly blown shut, the flame of his lighter going out as well. He immediately re-lit it, sighing in relief as the warm light granted him sight again. He proceeded to walk down the room, passing more mannequins._  
_Suddenly, he heard a noise behind him. Turning his head, he saw the pearl-white mask the Lady wore, and he immediately began running. She followed him, chasing him, and he could feel _her getting closer. She was faster than him_._

__

"That sounds horrifying", Jack breathed out. He had listened closely to Mark talking, retelling his first real encounter with the Lady. She sounded almost like a ghost, vanishing suddenly like that, and suddenly appearing behind Mark.  
Mark nodded in response. He was rather calm, having wiped away his tears and being cuddled close to Jack. His voice had been quiet, but steady. He only had stuttered when he mentioned the painting that looked like him. He wasn't the only one thinking about that, wondering. Jack had the suspicion that Mark may be related to the Lady, and may be would've been an "heir" to the Maw. To continue that madness.  
It wouldn't explain why Mark had been locked up in a prison though. And the Lady was also a fully grown woman, unlike Mark, who was maybe three feet tall. And he definitely wasn't just a child anymore, but an adult. It was all very confusing to Jack, but he was thankful he wouldn't have to worry about it. Hopefully at least.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More of Mark's past!  
> Fun Fact: I originally had wanted to start the story with the scene of Mark sitting on Jack's desk, humming and lost in thought, until Jack pulls him out of it.  
> Obviously I didn't go with that, but I'm glad it's still in here! :D


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More game spoilers

Talking about his past seemed to help Mark. He himself noticed, his nightmares became fewer and he didn't hum as much anymore. Jack did try his best to give Mark things to do, to occupy his mind, so that he wouldn't start humming again. He gave Mark his phone when he didn't need it, so that he could play games or watch videos or read on it, he gave Mark a coloring book for adults and different pencils and markers to use. That way, Mark could even be with Jack while he was recording. He just needed to stay quiet.  
Sometimes, Mark would hum quietly to himself, but wouldn't fall into his thoughts. In those times, he usually drew on blank pages. It usually ended up in being drawings of those eyes from the Maw, overseeing everything. Sometimes it even resembled the mask the Lady had worn. Sometimes he drew little creatures he told Jack were "Nomes". They had helped him in the Maw, until one incident which scared them off. Jack was curious what that had been, but hadn't asked.

What Jack couldn't help himself asking though, was during dinner. He had gotten cutlery for Mark, though he still refused usually to use it. At least he cleaned his hands after eating.  
"Hey Mark", Jack spoke up, watching Mark eat pieces of his steak he had gotten. Jack usually took care to give Mark more meat than the rest, depending on what cutting the meat and other foods smaller for Mark, so that he could grab it easily.  
"Hm?", Mark hummed, face stuffed with steak. He always seemed really starved, and he needed three meals a day at least. Otherwise his stomach would growl. One time they had forgotten dinner, Mark had been asleep already, and Jack hadn't wanted to wake him up. In the end, Mark had awoken in the middle of the night, in pain, his stomach growling loudly. He had barely managed to wake up Jack, who was concerned for Mark. He had missed one meal, and he was in pain from not eating!

"Is there a reason ye like meat so much? An' are so easily starved?", Jack asked. He was curious, and maybe Mark knew. So why not ask? The worst that could happen were bad memories, and they could deal with that.  
Mark swallowed what he had been chewing, looking away from Jack. Silence settled over them for a few minutes, before Mark sighed. He could tell Jack, right?  
"I don't know why it's such an obsession with meat... I think it's something the Lady did, to keep everyone eating and eating. The first thing I ate after getting out of my cage was a piece of meat, one of the children had given it to me", Mark explained and sighed. Jack's brows furrowed in confusion, children? Mark had mentioned something like that before, that there were people like him, children and those strange adults and such. So in the Maw, there were normal children imprisoned as well?

"I don't know why I starve so easily either... Maybe because I'm so small? Or.. it has to do with the strange meat obsession...", he mumbled, sounding... sad? Regretful? It made Jack worry whatever it was, and he wanted to know what weighed Mark's mind down.  
"Mark?", he said softly, waiting until his friend looked up to him again. "What are ye feelin' bad fer? I can tell from yer expression something's bothering ya..", he asked, concerned for Mark. The little guy frowned, looking away and looking a little uncomfortable even.  
"I... had to eat.. things... I ate without thinking almost, when hungry..", he explained, kind of, his voice quiet. It made Jack worry even more.  
"What did you eat?...", Jack asked, his voice quiet and with confusion. Worry, concern. He didn't know what to think about what Mark was telling him.  
"After the normal meat the child had given me, the next thing... when I was really hungry, starving, there was nothing around me. Nothing but... a... a small.. a small brown rat. Stuck in a mousetrap, still- still wiggling, alive", Mark muttered, not looking up to Jack. He just sat there, looking at his lap.  
"I bit right into its neck, killing it, eating from it. The next time I had hunger... when I felt like I was starving again... there was- there was this Nome", Mark could hear Jack gasp quietly. Until now, Jack had only known that the Nomes were friendly little creatures, helping Mark and keeping him company when he found a little hiding place from them.  
"It- it held a sausage. For me. Presented it to me like it wanted to tell me: Here, food!. And I.. I... I pushed the sausage aside. I- I grabbed it... and.. and bit into its neck. Killing it. Eating from it. Another Nome had seen that, it was the incident that scared them all off", Mark's voice got quieter the more he talked, his hands balling into fists on his lap. He ignored the fat stains his hands caused, due to eating the steak before.

"Was... was there anything else?", Jack asked carefully. He understood the rat, at least somewhat. Mark had been starving and there had been nothing else. But with the Nome... He didn't know what to think of that. There had been another option, but Mark had eaten the _Nome_ , the living thing. And when Mark nodded to his question, Jack was afraid of the answer.  
"It... it was the Lady..".

 _Holding the small mirror, though it was almost as big as Mark, he looked around the darkness. The room was big, full of mannequins, one sole table standing in the middle against the wall. There was only one spot of light, in which Mark was standing. The Lady was circling him, disappearing and reappearing, to confuse him._  
_Then suddenly, she appeared and approached Mark, floating closer. He had to almost whip around, taking a step back and pointing the mirror straight at the Lady. It started to glow blue, and she screamed._  
_The light vanished, Mark was pushed back, the mirror fell to the ground. He could still hear the echo of the Lady's scream in his head, while he fell to the ground and fell unconscious._

 _He awoke again to an extreme pain in his stomach. He groaned, curling up tighter in a ball, holding his belly. He had to get up, he had to get food. He'd_ die _without something to eat. Without meat._  
_He carefully pushed himself up, standing hunched over with one arm wrapped around his stomach. The small mirror he had been using to fight the Lady laid next to him, surface broken. Looking around, he saw the Lady, in a weak spot of light, like he had been._  
_She was on the ground, pushed up on her hands slightly. Her black hair was undone from the updo she had had before, now hanging down and hiding her face. He could see white shards beneath her, spotting the rest of the mask not far away from her. But that didn't matter to him, his eyes fell on one thing and stated fixated on it. Her exposed neck._  
_He approached her, his stomach growling. He didn't notice anything around him, didn't see anything but her neck, the flesh, the meat. When he got close to her, she shifted one arm back, like she wanted to push herself up._

__

_He latched onto her neck, biting viciously into it. He tore into the flesh, ignoring the blood coming forth from the wound he was making, the blood coating his face, dripping onto his raincoat. Tainting the bright yellow with a deep crimson.  
He ripped out pieces of flesh, chewing it and eating, and he didn't stop until his stomach was satisfied, and the woman laid still on the ground._

Mark suddenly stopped his re-telling of the events that had happened, shaking his head. His hands found their ways into his hair, gripping at it tightly. He looked like he was in pain, which startled Jack. He got up and hurried to Mark's side, carefully and gently grabbing his hands. He pulled them away and out of Mark's hair, to pull him into his chest and cradle him against it.  
He rocked back and forth, holding Mark close to himself. He mumbled soft words into Mark's hair, reassuring him that everything was alright, that he was safe, he was here with Jack, in his home. Nothing bad would happen to him, to neither of them.  
When Mark eventually calmed down again, he refused to tell Jack what had gotten him so worked up. He didn't finish eating, and instead went to get cleaned up. His hair was greasy now, and he didn't really like that. Jack sighed, letting Mark wander off, finishing his dinner alone. He put the left overs from Mark away, so that he could eat it when he became hungry later.

When Jack went to the bedroom to get ready for bed, Mark was already in bed, curled up with his back facing the rest of the bed. He didn't look asleep, but he didn't want to disturb Mark. He didn't look like he wanted to talk. So, Jack got his pajamas and went to the bath, to get changed and brush his teeth. Once he returned, he laid into bed and snuggled into the blankets. He debated if he should pull Mark closer to himself or not, in the end deciding against it. Mark seemed to want some distance, so Jack wouldn't just pull him close to himself.

The night passed, and when Jack woke up again, he was alone. It wasn't that unusual, Mark always seemed to be awake before him, so he wasn't concerned. Jack got up and stretched, dragging himself into the kitchen and making coffee. He didn't see Mark around, and he didn't hear anything either.  
"Mark?", Jack called out, peeking into the living room. There was no answer, and Jack didn't see anything either. He began to worry, walking through the rooms to find Mark. But he didn't find anything.  
When Jack couldn't find Mark anywhere in the house, Jack went to check Mark's few belongings. He found everything he had bought his friend, the only thing that wasn't here besides Mark, was his raincoat.  
Cold dread settled over Jack. Mark had left. He had taken nothing with him, gone with only what he had when he had come here. Jack felt... sad. And worried. Mark had left, and he didn't know why. It scared him, he was scared that Mark would be forever gone. What would happen to him, now on his own.

But what could Jack do? He could go search for Mark, but who knew when he had left? He could be far gone by now, and it scared Jack. He didn't want Mark to be gone, to be missing. He was his friend, and Jack cared immensely for him. But searching for him sounded like a bad idea. But Jack would have to try, at least.  
After Jack had gotten his coffee, he dressed and went out. He didn't care to eat breakfast, instead he focused his mind on Mark. He needed to find him again, who knew what would happen to him? He looked like a child to everyone that passed him, who was to tell if anyone would just- just take him away?

Jack felt panic in his veins, he felt terrified. But he let himself appear calm on the outside, panicking would do him nothing good. So he stayed as calm as he could, searching through the town, wherever he could think of. He didn't worry about recording or uploading, he had enough to last him a while, and videos were scheduled. He could use the whole day to search for Mark.  
And he did. Jack searched for the whole day, looking at every field, into every alley he could find. But he didn't find even a single clue as to where Mark was, if he ever had been anywhere at all. It made Jack want to give up, his determination dwindling.  
When he got back home that evening, he felt drained, and sad. He hadn't found anything, no trace of Mark. Making himself some dinner felt almost pointless now. It was quiet, no small footsteps walking around. No one to eat their food with with only their bare hands. No one to cut their food smaller.

The next day was even worse. Not waking up with Mark next to him, the house eerily silent. Without Mark here, his home seemed so empty. Jack had never been bothered by the quietness of his home before, until someone else had been with him. And now that he was alone again, the quietness was _too_ quiet.  
Jack tried to fill the silence with recording, but his heart wasn't in it, so he stopped. Sighing, Jack didn't know what else to do. Mark knew where he lived, so he could come back any time. He surely wouldn't go too far, right? Maybe he had felt too restricted, never going outside -or at least not much.  
Jack hoped Mark would come back.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The last chapter draws near!  
> I did have an idea for something more for this, but I don't think I'll write it  
> Mostly since this doesn't seem to interest many people, so yeah. Maybe one day
> 
> So more past is revealed and Mark vanished! Oh no!


	5. Chapter 5

It had been a few days now since Mark had vanished. Days soon turned into weeks, and sooner than Jack realized, a whole month had passed. He still couldn't bear the silence in his house, but he slowly got used to it again. He couldn't help himself though, he missed Mark extremely.

Tonight it was raining. A light downpour, and Jack couldn't sleep. he sat on his windowsill, watching the silent street. It reminded him of the night he first had found Mark. He had had his window cracked open, enabling him to hear the little guy's humming. Right now, his window was closed though. Jack was only listening to the rhythm the rain beat against his window.  
He leaned his head against the cool glass, closing his eyes. He let his mind empty from thoughts, wandering around until he sighed. He opened his eyes again and opened the window, cracking it open, so that he could get some fresh air without letting the rain in.

_Hm.. hm.. hm...~ Hm.. hm.. hm...~_

His eyes widened, hearing a familiar tune. It was slower, weaker, but it was the same melody Jack had grown to recognize as the haunted tune of imprisoned children. People. Of _Mark_.  
Jack looked out of the window, trying to spot the familiar yellow raincoat, but he couldn't see it. The humming continued though, so Jack sprang from the windowsill and ran through the hall, putting on his jacket and shoes before running out, ignoring that it was raining and he'd be soaked when he returned home.  
All he was thinking about was Mark, listening to the humming. He followed the familiar tune, the voice that very clearly belonged to Mark. He was here, but he sounded hurt. His voice was so weak, like he was forcing himself to hum.

Jack turned into an alley next to a streetlamp, the humming was the loudest here. Slowly and carefully walking into the alley, Jack looked around. His eyes fell on a small figure, slightly curled in on themselves on the ground. Wearing a bright yellow raincoat, which was stained with dirt and- and blood?  
Jack's breath hitched, emotions flooding him. Relief to have found Mark, confusion why he was in this condition, worry and concern for the state Mark was in. Without thinking, Jack hurried to Mark, falling to his knees next to him.  
"Mark, Mark, it's me, Jack", he said, his voice quiet and shaky. A little frantic. The humming stopped, and Jack could see his friend struggling to turn his head to face Jack. He was pale, eyes barely open.  
"I'll get ya home, I'll take care of ye. Yer gonna be okay", Jack carefully picked Mark up, mumbling more reassuring words, for Mark and for himself.

He hurried back to his home, glad to be back inside and away from the rain. He went straight to the bathroom, ignoring his own relatively soaked state, setting Mark down into the bathtub. He carefully took of Mark's raincoat, the little guy leaning against the tub, barely awake. Once the coat was off, Jack could see bruises littering Mark's body, making his heart clench.  
He took the showerhead the tub head and turned the water on, waiting for it to warm up, before letting the gentle stream of water go over Mark's body. Washing away the cold and dirt, Jack carefully and gently washed Mark's dirty legs and arms, washing his hair carefully as well.  
Readying a towel, Jack lifted Mark out of the tub and wrapped him in the towel, before picking him up again. He held Mark close to his chest, not minding the wet hair against his chest, and he brought Mark to his bed. The little guy had already fallen asleep in Jack's arms, leaving the human worried for Mark, without knowing what happened.

Once Mark was in bed and asleep, Jack himself got out of his wet clothes and took a short shower to warm up again, before getting dressed in fresh pajamas. He got to his room again, finding Mark curled up in his towel, holding it close to himself. Jack got in bed as well, and he pulled Mark close to himself, cradling him against his chest protectively. He didn't want Mark to vanish again, he didn't want Mark to ever leave without a word and reason. He didn't want to be alone again.

Morning came and Jack woke up slowly. The sun shining in his face, warming him up more than his blankets already did, wasn't as uncomfortable as he would've thought. His mind was still in his dream, letting the last moments repeat and continued them with his thoughts, until his brain decided to let him know what had happened last night.  
Opening his eyes, he rubbed the sleep out of them. He didn't have Mark held against him anymore, and he almost believed that Mark hadn't been here at all, that he had dreamed everything that had happened last night. But he spotted the towel basically next to him, telling him that Mark had been here, but not anymore.  
Scared that he had left again, Jack quickly got out of bed. He hoped that Mark was still there, and hadn't grabbed his raincoat and left again.  
"Mark?", Jack called out, walking into the hall. He heard noises from the kitchen, making him sigh in relief. He still hurried though, he remembered seeing Mark full of bruises. It must hurt to walk around with those, and Jack wondered what had happened to his little friend.

Entering the kitchen, Jack saw Mark sitting on the ground in front of he fridge. He had managed to open it and had gotten some left-overs Jack still had from the day before. Mark didn't seem to care what exactly he was eating, and that it was cold, he just _ate_.  
Jack observed the little guy, how he sat on the cold floor with nothing but his white boxer shorts on. Devouring the food like he hadn't eaten in months and was starving. Jack could well imagine how Mark could tear into living bodies, as long as they weren't too much taller than him or vulnerable. It made him shudder, and make him glad he and Mark were friends.  
Jack opted to stay silent, waiting for Mark to be finished. It took a good while, before Mark stopped and seemed to be satisfied.  
"Mark?", Jack called out once more, now gaining Mark's attention. He looked towards Jack and up to him, his face and arms a mess again. The familiar sight made Jack smile softly.  
"Let's get ya cleaned up an' then talk, a'right?", Jack suggested, and Mark nodded. He stood up and walked over to Jack, who proceeded to wet a dishtowel and clean Mark up, careful of his bruises.

Once Mark was cleaned up, Jack got him to wear a shirt, though nothing else. Mark had wanted to wear his coat, but seeing as how he would stay here for a while to talk to Jack, he didn't argue and just settled with a shirt. Now, they sat on the couch together. Mark had his legs tucked under himself, fidgeting with his hands on his lap, not looking up to Jack.  
"Why did ya leave?", Jack asked after a while, when neither had said anything. Mark stayed quiet for a moment longer, obviously kind of nervous. In the end, he sighed in defeat.  
"I was scared. Not of you! But.. for you", Mark sounded unsure, hesitant, but sincere. His answer just confused Jack though, he didn't understand what Mark meant with that.  
"What do ya mean?", he asked, brows furrowed. His gaze was on Mark, taking in his fidgeting and shifting. How unsure he looked about telling Jack.  
"I'm dangerous, Jack. I don't want to hurt you..", Mark mumbled, looking up to Jack. His eyes were sad, almost pleading. Begging for Jack to understand him, even though he couldn't explain it right.  
"Can ya explain? Or... or try ta?", Jack asked, not only concerned for his friend, but also unsure of what to think. Mark, dangerous? Other than what he had to do to eat in the past, there seemed nothing dangerous about him...  
"Something... something happened after I killed the Lady", Mark mumbled. "It's... how I escaped".

 _Raw power engulfed him. Black mist, like manifested shadows, flowed through the air like strings. They wrapped themselves around him, and it felt like it was absorbed through his skin into him. It was a prickling sensation, like little needles pricking his skin. But they didn't hurt, it felt almost warm, comforting._  
_It made him feel stronger. It made him feel safe. Like an old friend. He smiled, welcoming the sensation. He welcomed it as his friend, and companion. It felt familiar, yet like he didn't know it. A feeling he had never felt before, but felt so comforting._  
_It lead him, like it had before. He hadn't known, but this power had called him here. Telling him how to get through the Maw, through which doors to go. Telling him where he could find the key, the Lady had hidden. And it would lead him out of here now, out of the Maw._

 _Mark was walking slowly. He had no need to rush, his new found power, and friend, swirling around him like black ashes from a fire. He felt the raw power flow through his veins, clouding his mind almost. He didn't notice the lamps hanging from the ceiling flickering and break while he walked under them. He barely registered the sounds of eating further down the hall. His eyes were fixated on the door at the end, his goal._  
_He passed tables, were the "guests" were eating. One by one, when Mark passed them, they turned around and tried to get him, to grab him, to eat him too. Some falling off their stools, some reaching over the table or even climbing on top of it._  
_But whenever Mark passed a guest, whenever one tried to get to him, the black mist wrapped around their throats, killing them in mere seconds. Merciless._

 _The mist always returned to Mark, always being "absorbed" by his skin once more. The black ash was almost everywhere in the air around him. But Mark didn't notice. He didn't notice anything happening around him, his eyes locked on the steps at the end, leading to the door he_ knew _freedom was behind._

_Hm hm hm~ Hm hm hm~_

_The familiar tune came forth from him, the humming dark and ominous. Like it was feeding off of the death around him. Feeding of the ones that had eaten, just to get eventually eaten themselves. A circle of eating and getting eaten, starving and overeating._

_Mark reached the end, a soft smile grazing his lips once the door in front of him opened. Light flooded the staircase that was revealed, the outside world only steps away from Mark. Freedom._  
_Without stopping once, Mark started to walk up the steps. His humming echoed off the walls, being amplified. It was almost like in the prison, where the children all hummed together. It was a haunting memory._

Mark fell silent, after telling Jack. He didn't want to tell him how exactly he had gotten back to land, how he had been able to get to where he was right now. But Jack didn't care, nor did he question it. He was silent, his eyes wide, while Mark didn't dare look at him.  
It was an understatement to say Mark was shocked when Jack suddenly hugged him, holding him close to his chest with a hand in his hair. He rocked him gently back and forth, and only when Jack muttered quietly that everything was alright, was that Mark realized that he was crying.  
He held onto Jack, burying his face into Jack's chest. He cried quietly, shaking a little. He didn't know why he was crying, but he felt like he needed it. So he let his body cry, clinging to Jack.

Some time later, Mark had calmed down again. Jack continued to hold him against his chest, rocking them back and forth gently on the couch. Mark was holding gently onto Jack's shirt, his head leaning against Jack's chest.  
"Why?..", Mark finally muttered quietly. "Why do you still care?". He couldn't belief how Jack could still like him, still want him around. How he hadn't thrown Mark out after hearing that, how he wasn't scared of Mark.  
"Yer my friend, Mark. If ye wanted ta hurt me, ya already would 'ave", Jack explained, his voice quiet and soft. It still didn't make sense to Mark, but he nodded anyways. He was glad that Jack still liked him, even if he thought it was a bad idea to do so.

Jack got Mark to stay, having his friend dress properly again. They couldn't do anything for Mark's bruises, other than try and not put pressure on them. But Mark seemed to be able to handle the pain really well, or he was able to ignore it very well. They had a proper breakfast then, though Mark didn't eat much more, since he had already eaten something. He stayed with Jack to give him company, before they both decided to go and play games.  
Jack let Mark sit in his lap, using an audio splitter to be able to use two sets of headphones, giving one of them to Mark. They played some games on the PC together, sometimes only one of them playing and the other one watching and helping out, commenting even. They had fun.

They spend the whole day playing together, not once parting from each other. At least not unless one really had to. They made lunch and dinner together, Jack telling Mark about the things he had done while Mark hadn't been there, how empty the house had felt without him. And Mark told Jack where he had been, avoiding telling Jack how he had gotten hurt and how starved he had felt for so long.  
Mark was really glad to be back with Jack. He told him, that Mark had realized he wouldn't survive without help any longer, so he had tried to walk back to Jack's home. He hadn't managed to get far enough though, so he had used his last strength to hum, hoping it would lead Jack to him just like the first time. And thankfully, it had. Jack had heard Mark and found him. And they both were incredibly grateful for that.

Once it was time for bed, Mark was, as usual, the first to be ready and sit on the bed, waiting for Jack. Once the human was ready and entered the bedroom again, he noticed that Mark was sitting on top, instead of being snuggled into the blankets.  
"Is everything a'right?", Jack asked, concerned that something was wrong. He sat down next to Mark, looking at his friend. Mark seemed a little uncomfortable again, thinking over what he wanted to say.  
"No.. well...", he sighed, running a hand through his hair, looking around the room, but not at Jack.  
"I.. I feel like I need to get back to the Maw", Mark told Jack, his voice quiet. "It's- it's like a pull. Something trying to bring me back to it. I- I guess because the Maw _needs_ an overseer. And... and I killed the last one...", Mark sighed. Jack could kind of understand what he was saying though.  
"It only surfaces once a year. And it had when I was escaping... so... so it will be a while until I actually... well.. actually will leave", Mark continued. He clearly _didn't_ want to leave, but it was clear he felt like he needed to.  
Jack nodded softly. He pet Mark's hair with a smile, causing Mark to look up at Jack and see it.  
"It's a'right. I'm sure it'll be fine Mark. An' if it just surfaced, we got a year together, right?", he tried to see it optimistic, even though he didn't want Mark to be gone again. Especially when he didn't know if Mark would ever come back or not.  
Mark smiled and nodded softly. They did indeed have a whole year together, maybe even a little longer. No one knew when exactly the Maw surfaced after all, it was never the same date, nor the same place.  
"Let's just go ta sleep", Jack pulled Mark towards him and got under the blankets with him, holding Mark close to himself. Mark smiled, cuddling into Jack's chest.

Neither of them would know how long they had together, or what would happen once Mark felt like he needed to leave. But they knew they enjoyed each other's company and would miss each other. But they would always stay friends, they were sure of that.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's it!  
> Mark is back, admitted he is dangerous with evil powers, and Jack still loves him and wants him here!  
> Too bad Mark will eventually leave him, but that is for another story. If I ever write that that is.  
> But yeah, it had been fun writing this, and now I got another slot open for a new story so!  
> Who knows!


End file.
